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Pacific Southwest, Region 9

Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations

Monitoring, Assessment and TMDLs

Monitoring, Assessment and TMDLs Quick Finder
Monitoring & TMDLs Home 303(d) lists EPA-established TMDLs EPA-lead TMDLs: Completed Monitoring Arizona TMDLs California TMDLs Hawai'i TMDLs Nevada TMDLs Pacific Islands TMDLs TMDL Contacts
Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

The Clean Water Act requires states, territories, and authorized tribes to develop lists of impaired waters. These are waters that are too polluted or otherwise degraded to meet the water quality standards set by states, territories, or authorized tribes. The law requires that these jurisdictions establish priority rankings for waters on the lists and develop "Total Maximum Daily Loads" (TMDLs) for these waters. A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive and still safely meet water quality standards.

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EPA-Established Final TMDLs

Although most TMDLs are adopted by states, territories, or authorized tribes, and then approved by EPA, EPA also establishes TMDLs in some cases if:

  • EPA disapproves TMDLs submitted by states, territories, or authorized tribes,
  • States, territories, or authorized tribes do not submit TMDLs in a timely manner,
  • EPA is required to do so pursuant to litigation settlements or judicial orders, or
  • States ask EPA to establish TMDLs for particular water bodies.

The following are TMDLs which have been completed by EPA as part of legal requirements under lawsuit settlement consent decrees. EPA-established TMDLs covering other bodies of water will be added as they become available.

Albion River Sediment TMDL

Ballona Creek Wetlands Sediment and Invasive Exotic Vegetation TMDL

Big River Sediment TMDL

Final TMDL (PDF) (51 pp, 142K)

Summary of Comments and Responses (PDF) (10 pp, 30K)

Calleguas Creek Chloride TMDL

EPA established this chloride TMDL on March 22, 2002. On December 2, 2008, EPA approved the TMDL submitted by the State of California for boron, chloride, sulfates and total dissolved solids, which supercedes the EPA-established TMDL.

Eel River (Lower) Sediment and Temperature TMDLs

Final TMDL (PDF) (83 pp, 1.7MB)
Comment Responsiveness Summary (PDF) (16 pp, 107K)

Eel River (North Fork) Sediment and Temperature TMDLs

Final TMDL (PDF) (50 pp, 615K)

Response to Comments (PDF) (14 pp, 36K)

Eel River (Middle Fork) Sediment and Temperature TMDLs

Final TMDL (PDF) (58 pp, 299K)

Summary of comments and responses (PDF) (11 pg, 63K)

Eel River (South Fork) Sediment and Temperature TMDLs

Final TMDL (PDF) (62 pp, 273K)

Eel River (Middle Main) Sediment and Temperature TMDLs

Final TMDL (PDF) (55 pp, 557K)

Eel River (Upper Main) Sediment and Temperature TMDLs

Final TMDL (PDF) (70 pp, 981K)

Upper Main Eel Temperature and Sediment TMDLs Comment Responsiveness Summary (PDF) (19 pp, 306K)

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Garcia River Sediment TMDL

EPA established this TMDL on March 16, 1998. On March 7, 2002, EPA approved the TMDL submitted by the State of California, which supercedes the EPA-established TMDL.

State-adopted Garcia River Watershed Sediment TMDLs Exiting EPA (disclaimer)

Gualala River Sediment TMDL

Long Beach City Beaches and Los Angeles River Estuary TMDLs for Indicator Bacteria

Los Angeles Area Lakes Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Mercury, Trash, Organochlorine Pesticides and PCBs TMDLs

Los Angeles River Watershed Trash TMDL

EPA established this TMDL on March 19, 2002. On August 1, 2002, EPA approved the TMDL submitted by the State of California, which supercedes the EPA-established TMDL.

Los Cerritos Channel Metals TMDLs

EPA established the Los Cerritos Channel Metals TMDLs for Copper, Lead and Zinc on March 17, 2010.

Lost River Nutrients and pH TMDLs

EPA established these nutrient TMDLs on December 30, 2008.

Some technical support documents are provided here since they are referenced in the TMDLs and provide additional clarification.

Mad River Sediment and Turbidity TMDLs

Final TMDL (PDF) (112 pp, 1.74MB)
Comment Responsiveness Summary (PDF) (52 pp, 511K)
Sediment Source Analysis (PDF) (173 pp, 13.3MB)

Malibu Creek Nutrient and Bacteria

Cover Letter (PDF) (transmittal of final TMDLs to the State of California) (2 pp, 55K)
Final TMDL for Nutrients (PDF) (53 pp, 626K)

Final TMDL for Bacteria (PDF) (42 pp, 1.1 MB)

Response to Comments

Malibu Creek and Lagoon Sedimentation and Nutrients Impacting Benthic Community

Please see EPA-lead TMDLs, recently completed

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Mattole River Sediment TMDL

Final TMDL (PDF) (44 pp, 1MB)

Navarro River Sediment and Temperature TMDLs

Noyo River Sediment TMDL

Oxnard Drain 3 Pesticides, PCBs, and Sediment Toxicity TMDLs

Pinto Creek Copper TMDL

Redwood Creek Sediment TMDL

San Diego Creek, Newport Bay Sediment TMDL

EPA established TMDLs for sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus for Newport Bay and San Diego Creek, CA on April 13, 1998. EPA subsequently approved slightly revised TMDLs submitted by the State of California for sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus for Newport Bay and San Diego Creek on April 16, 1999. These State-adopted TMDLs supercede the TMDLs previously established by EPA.

State-adopted TMDLs for Los Angeles River Watershed Trash TMDL (PDF) (32 pp, 470K) Exiting EPA (disclaimer)

San Diego Creek, Newport Bay Toxics TMDL

Final TMDL Document (PDF) (This document is currently unavailable)
Technical Support Documents:

Santa Clara River Chlorides TMDL

Santa Monica Bay DDTs and PCBs TMDL

San Gabriel River Metals TMDLs

EPA has established the San Gabriel River Metals TMDLs in lieu of California because of deadlines associated with consent decree. The response to comments document is also available.

Extra technical support documents are also provided here since they are referenced in the Draft TMDLs and therefore they may give additional clarification.

Ten Mile River Sediment TMDL

Trinity River Sediment TMDL

Final TMDL (PDF) (81 pp, 1.16MB)

Comment Responsiveness Summary (PDF) (61 pg, 355K)

Trinity River (South Fork) Sediment TMDL

Final TMDL (PDF) (75 pp, 795K)

Van Duzen River Sediment TMDL

Final TMDL (PDF) (73 pp, 1.21MB)

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